Course Catalogue

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This course explores how social and public policy can be used to make economies more inclusive. Grounded in theories about the relationship between the state, the economy, and society and focusing on policy in the UK and across the Global North and Global South, it engages with a broad set of ideas that are at the forefront of current thinking and practice about how economies should be organized, what values and interests they should reflect, and what aims they should prioritize in order to ensure that they serve a diverse set of needs in contemporary society in ways that are empowering, equitable, sustainable, and just.

One hour weekly lecture

One hour weekly tutorial

Entry to Honours Social & Public Policy normally requires a grade point average of 12 (grade C3) over Social & Public Policy 2A and 2B (formerly Public Policy 2A and 2B) as a first attempt.

None

None

One written assignment (3000 words) weighted at 60%. Students can select an essay question from a list outlined in the course handbook or formulate their own with the approval of the course convenor(s).

One report (1200 words) weighted at 40%. Students will be asked to advocate for a policy position using relevant supporting evidence in the style of a short policy document, aimed to informed policy and change practice.

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

This course explores how social and public policy can be used to promote inclusive economies. Focusing on the UK and incorporating comparative insights from across the Global North and Global South, we will examine different theoretical approaches to the relationship between the state, the economy, and society; how and why this relationship has evolved since 1945 and the impact this has had on social and public policy; and, by exploring a set of major contemporary issues in social and public policy selected by students in a process of curriculum co-design, the potential for using policy to make economies more inclusive.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Appraise different theories of the relationship between the state, the economy, and society and assess their implications for understanding policy;

■ Analyze major changes in the relationship between the state, the economy, and society since 1945 and their impact on social and public policy, both in the UK and in a comparative international context;

■ Critically assess major contemporary issues, ideas, and debates in social and public policy that seek to re-imagine economies in ways that prioritize empowerment, inclusion, social justice, equality, and sustainability;

■ Critically assess different ways in which inclusive economies can be understood, the benefits they could have for different groups in society, the competing interests and potential trade-offs they might entail, and the implications they have for citizenship;

■ Evaluate the opportunities and obstacles that exist for promoting inclusive economies through policy at the international, national, and local level, and in communities and workplaces.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.